Desk top cover



April 7, 1953 A. c. HovEN v 2,684,19o

-DEsx TOP covR Filed July 5, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET l INVENTOR; Alfred ll-017cm,

April 7, 1953 A. c. HovEN 2,634,190

Desx To? covER- Filed July 5, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 IN VEN TOR.

1:29'7 7 lfrecl lffaen Patented Apr. 7, 1953V I ram- OFFICE DESK TOP GOVER AlfredC. Hyoven, Grand Rapids, Mich.`, assignor to American Seating Company, Grand Rapids, Mich., a corporation of New Jersey i y Alppliamm July 5, 1949,1sefia11N0. l103,007

i claim.. (oiale---zaisi'` y The present invention relatsr to scl'iool and more particularly, to school desks of the type' havingan open top desk box and a hinged cover Atherefor adapted to serve both as a cover for the' box and also as the working surface of the desk. Such covers are commonly made of solid Wood or plywood, either of which has certain advantages and` certain disadvantages. Natural Woods are strong and durable and in addition have 'a "warmth which most other materials, particularly metals, do not possess. On the other hand natural Woods when employed as school desk tops sometimes have a tendency to warp, are obvious targets for the pocket-knives of school boys, and are becoming increasingly costly. The objects of this invention are, therefore, to provide a desk top cover constructed of a combination of sheet metal and plastic, which has the strength, durability and warmth of natural wood but which will not warp and which is somewhat less costly, and which if marred in any way can be quickly and inexpensively restored to a condition of newness. t

These objects are attained by, and the invention finds preferable embodiment in, the structurehereinafter described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, wherein: 4

, Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a box type desk top for a school desk mounted on a pedestal the upper end of which is here shown fragmentarily;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the same;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the same showing the cover for the desk box in a diiferent position of adjustment;

' Figure 4 is a sectional view thereof taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3 and showing the'cover for the desk top in bottom plan view;

Figures 5, 6 and 7 are enlarged, fragmentary sectional views taken on lines -5, 6--6, and 1-1 respectively, of Figure 4.

Referring now in detail to these drawings, the box type school desk top shown in Figures 1 and 3 is of the same general type as that shown in Patent No. 2,469,239 issued May 3, 1949. It comprises a top box generally designated Ill mounted on top of a pedestal II here shown fragmentarily, and a hinged cover generally designated |2. The cover is movable from a substantially horizontal work position shown in full lines in Figure 1, to rearwardly-upwardly inclined positions as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1, in which latter positions of the cover access may be had to the interior of the box for the placement or removal 'of books and supplies. During this movement of the cover,l it moves with a hinge member `4|3 having a piano 'hinge" connection at M with the upper`` front edge of the topbox HI.

From a rearwardly-upwardly inclined position as indicatedtin dotted lines in Figurefl'ythe cover 12 isl alsomovable to a rearwardly-down-p wardly inclined position for reading'as shown in Figure 3, such movement taking place about a pivotal connection at |5 between the cover |2 and the rearward end of the hinge leaf 14, and the cover being supported in this rearwardlydownwardly inclined position by means of arms |6 connected to ratchet mechanisms within the top'box as disclosed in the issued patent identified above.

The cover I2 for the top box vcomprlses a sheet metal base plate l'l having downwardly embossed strengthening ribs l8 (see Figures 4-7), and the hinge connections between the cover and the top box are connected at |9 (see Figure 4) to the underside of this base plate ll. A generally flat sheet metal surface plate 20 is secured to the upper surface of the base plate l'l as by spot welding, said surface plate 20 being provided with a downwardly turned peripheral flange 2 I. A cover sheet of composition material 22 is secured to the upper surface of the sheet metal surface plate 20 and to the outer `lsurfaces of said plate's fiange 2| as by means of a suitable adhesive (not shown) or, if desired said sheet 22 may be sprayed onto the surface plate 20 in liquid plastic form and thereafter permitted or caused to set. The downwardly turned peripheral flange 2| has the lower portion 23 thereof turned outwardly and upwardly after the sheet 22 has been applied, thus concealing the edge of the sheet and protecting the cover sheet 22 against damage or removal by working it loose at the edges. The composition cover sheet 22 may consist of any of the suitable well-known plastics 'such as vinyl, butyl etc., and is preferably of a natural wood color and desirably provided with a mottled or grained effect in order to giveit a feeling of "warmth." The composition sheet 22 may be replaced when worn or damaged by turning down the portion 23 of flange 2|, removing the sheet and applying a new sheet as hereinbefore described.

The rearwardly-downwardly inclined position of the cover 12 shown in Figure 3 is especially convenient for reading, and for supporting a book 24 in reading position there is provided a book-supporting ledge 25, said ledg'e comprising an upward embossing 26 (see Figure 6) along the rearward edge of the sheet metal surface plate 20, over which embossing is molded the composition cover sheet 22.

Elongated rubber bumpers 21 are forced through slots 28 in the strengthening ribs 18 of the base plate l'l, into abutment with the underside of the surface plate 20, and these bumpers 26 serve to cushion the fall of the cover by contacting the upper rearward edge of the top box Il), thus to eliminate any slamming of the cover to its closed position.

It will thus be seen that a strong, durable, attractive and novel cover has been provided for the open top desk boxes of school desks or the like, and while but one specific embodiment of the invention has been herein shown and desoribed, it will be understood that numerous details thereof may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the following claim.

I claim:

In a cover for anv open top desk box for a school desk or the like; a sheet metal base plate having hinge connections with the box and movable to a position covering the open top of the desk box and to inclined positions giving access to the interior of the box, said base plate having strengthening ribs embossed downwardly from the main body thereof; a generally fiat sheet metal surface plate secured to the upper surface of the base plate and provided with an upward embossing along its rearward edge forming a' book-supporting ledge and with a downwardly turned peripheral flange circumscribing the peripheral edge of the base plate; and a sheet of composition material secured to the upper surface of said surface plate and to the outer surface of said surface plate's peripheral fiange, the lower marginal edge of said flange being turned outwardly and upwardly to conceal the edge of said composition Sheet.

ALFRED C. HOVEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 20 file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATE'I'S 

